By her own admission, Portia Rindos was doing just about everything wrong before passing out at work. At some level, she knew that was taking her down a path going nowhere good. Luckily her doctor helped her take control of her heart health.

As she prepared for a trip home for the July 4 holiday, Denise Castille got a text message that likely saved her life. Her flight was delayed by more than an hour. Shortly after that, she started feeling like something massive was sitting on her chest, stifling her breath.

Robert Blodgett is clear: He was tricked into staying alive. If he’d had his way, he’d be dead from a heart attack. It likely would have been massive as three of his coronary arteries were 99 percent blocked and two others weren’t much better.

For months I had been experiencing occasional discomfort in my chest when eating. I attributed it to eating too quickly when I was hungry. My husband thought I might have a hernia. It didn’t occur to me to mention it to my doctor, even though I saw one regularly.

When Jang Jaswal immigrated to this country from India in 1985, he assimilated one part of American culture quite enthusiastically: “When I came here, I got hooked on fast-food fried chicken,” he said. “Every lunchtime, I would buy a bucket and eat it.”

New life experiences described as ‘unremarkable’ merit high approval. A doctor’s appointment that concludes with ‘unremarkable’ in your medical chart is one. A seamless, multi-stop transatlantic flight is another.

Cooking at home can be a daunting task, but a rewarding one for your diet and lifestyle (and your wallet). Making small changes in your diet is important to your heart health. Here are simple, healthy and affordable recipes and cooking tips.